Ours: Taylor Swift

                                                                 Photo Credit: (license) 

Have gotten lots of song requests for more of Taylor's songs. She is a hit with a few of my older students. Here's one for beginner's to learn and play chords in C Major.


Ours was written in 2011 by the beautiful Taylor Swift. It's an easy progression to play. You may be thinking of another song of hers, Our Song that's a good one, too.

Chords and Lyrics: Ours

Key of C
Moderately fast
4/4 Time signature

Intro: C  Am7  F (2x)


Verse 1:

  C       Am7                 F
Elevator buttons and morning air
  C               Am7                        F
Strangers silence makes me wanna take the stairs
    C                 Am7                 F
If you were here we'd laugh about their vacant stares
           C  G/B            F   
But right now, my time is theirs

Verse:

  C                        Am7            F
Seems like theres always someone who disapproves
        C                  Am7                F
They'll judge it like they know about me and you
          C                 Am7           F
And the verdict comes from those with nothing else to do
       G     C  G/B                F   G/B
The jury's out, but my choice is you

Chorus:

    F                    G 
So don't you worry your pretty little mind
  C                   Am
People throw rocks at things that shine
     F          G          Am
And life makes love look  hard
                 F
The stakes are high
             G
The waters rough
                  
But this love is ours

C  Am7  F (2x)

Verse 2:

 C                   Am7                     F   
They never know what people have up their sleeves
 C                     Am7                F             
Ghosts from your past gonna jump out at me
 C               Am7                 F
Lurking in the shadows with their lip gloss smiles
    G         C   G/B                        F    G/B
But I don't care, cause right now you're mine

Chorus:
                F                     G            
And you'll say don't you worry your pretty little mind
  C                   Am
People throw rocks at things that shine
     F          G         Am
And life makes love look hard
                F
The stakes are high
             G
The waters rough
                  
But this love is ours

C  Am  F

C  Am  F

Bridge:

Am              G            F
And it's not theirs to speculate
         C    G/B   Am             G   
If it's wrong and your hands are tough 
             F          C      G/B 
but they are where mine belong in
Am                 G                  
I'll fight their doubt and give you
F               C    G/B   F     G
faith with this song for you

Verse:

C                Am7                F
Cause I love the gap between your teeth
C                Am7               F
And I love the riddles that you speak
          C                    Am7             F                     
And any snide remarks from my father about your tattoos 
C               G/B                  F    G/B
will be ignored cause my heart is yours

Chorus:

    F                     G
So don't you worry your pretty little mind
  C                   Am
People throw rocks at things that shine
     F           G        Am
And life makes love look hard

Chorus:

    F                     G
So don't you worry your pretty little mind
  C                   Am
People throw rocks at things that shine
     F          G          C    Am
But they can't take what's ours
 F          G           Am
They can't take what's ours
                F
The stakes are high
             G
The waters rough
                  C
But this love is ours

Do you have a favorite Taylor Swift song? Here's a list of former popular posts:

Begin Again

Eyes Open

Fifteen

Love Story

Teardrops On My Guitar

You may be interested in Gospel Guitar 101

Blessings,

"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

Beginner's Corner: Beat and Rhythm

As you can see, two of my grandsons love beating on the pots and pans drumming wall!

Teaching piano students to count the rhythm while they're practicing or just having them use a metronome can be a bit challenging at times. As musicians, we know it's so important to play the rhythm correctly. Here's a few points to consider.

Beat is the steady pulse in music, like the "tick-tocks" on the clock. The beat can be fast or slow, but it always stays the same and steady (unless the composer asks you to start speeding up or slowing down). Most commonly the beat is a quarter note, but it can be an eighth note or a half note.

4/4   F, F, F, F
        1  2   3  4

Rhythm is the pattern of short and long notes in a piece. It is the combination of all the different note values, such as half notes or quarter notes. The rhythm of a melody has to fit into the steady beat.

4/4  F, FF, F
       1  2     3 4

Counting the Beat

Counting the beat will help you play rhythms correctly. It is a little tricky to count while playing (especially counting out loud), but it gets much easier with practice!

1. Start with short pieces that use very simple rhythms, such as quarter and half notes. First just count the beat while looking at the music. As you say each beat (number) move your eyes over the measure.

2. Count the beat and clap the rhythm. (You clap the notes - quarter notes, eighth notes etc. that you see in the music while counting 1 2 3 4 or however many beats are in the time signature.)

3. When you get good at this, play the example while counting out loud.

Try these examples. For each one the beats are under the notes, as shown in the first example. Clap the rhythm while counting and then play and count out loud.

1. 4/4  C  E  FG  A / GF ED CG C

            1  2  3     4  / 1     2     3    4

2.  3/4  F    EF / BC F F

            12  3   /  1    2 3

3.  2/4  AD  BG  / AE  D

             1     2     /  1     2

4.  3/8  D  G  B  / C  B

            1    2   3 / 12  3

Intermediate Rhythm

If you are an intermediate player, you might want to play along with this chord chart, Bruce Hornsby's song, That's Just The Way It Is.

4 bars drums

Am7 / Em7 / D / Cadd9 / G / Am7 / Em7 / D / Cadd9 / G / D / Cadd9 / x2

Am7              Em7  

Standing in line marking time

D               Cadd9          G

Waiting for the welfare dime

D                       Cadd9

'Cause they can't buy a job

Am7                      Em7  

The man in the silk suit hurries by

D                      Cadd9          G

As he catches the poor ladies' eyes

D                           Cadd9

Just for fun he says "get a job"

Chorus

G       Fmaj7   C                       Cadd9

////    ////    ///     That's just the way it is,

G       Fmaj7   C                       Cadd9

////    ////    ///     Somethings will never change,

G       Fmaj7   C                       Cadd9

////    ////    ///     That's just the way it is,

G       Fmaj7   C               Cadd9           

////    ////    ///     Ah, but don't you believe them.

Am7 / Em7 / D / Cadd9 / G / Am7 / Em7 / D / Cadd9 / G / D / Cadd9 /

They say, hey little boy you can't go where the others go

'Cause you don't look like they do

Said hey old man how can you stand

To think that way did you really think about it

Before you made the rules he said, Son

Chorus

Solo

Am7 / Em7 / D / Cadd9 / G / Am7 / Em7 / D / Cadd9 / G / D / Cadd9 / x5

G       Fmaj7   C                       Cadd9

////    ////    ///     That's just the way it is,

G       Fmaj7   C                       Cadd9

////    ////    ///     That's just the way it is,

Well they passed a law in '64

To give those who ain't got a little more

But it only goes so far

Because the law don't change another's mind

When all it sees at the hiring time

Is the line on the color bar

G       Fmaj7   C                       Cadd9

////    ////    ///     That's just the way it is,

G       Fmaj7   C                       Cadd9

////    ////    ///     That's just the way it is,

G       Fmaj7   C                       Cadd9

////    ////    ///     That's just the way it is,

Solo

Am7 / Em7 / D / Cadd9 / G / Am7 / Em7 / D / Cadd9 / G / D / Cadd9 / to fade

Advanced Rhythm

The ability to play cross rhythms easily is an essential part of a pianist's advanced technique. Yes, it can be acquired at an early age. Before a student attempts to play a cross rhythm, he must first be able to divide a steady beat into two, three or four equal parts. Practice clapping pairs of quavers, then triplets, then finally groups of four semiquavers.

Oh, now you can see and hear the beating of the drum from a 2 year old and 7 year old!!

Drums from Hear and Play is a great dvd resource for your library. Also, you can check out some music articles of mine if you're interested:

Rhythm-in-Music

Syncopation-Workshop-of-Rhythm

Triplets-Vs-Eighth-Notes

Blessings,

"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

Chords with Both Hands?

Mailbox Monday

Question: Can I play chords with the right hand rather than the left?

Answer: Yes, and I'd like to talk about chord "voicings." How to play a chord in both hands so that it has a good sound. For a good voicing, there are certain considerations:

1. In the left hand, no "clusters" (close harmony).
2. For major chords, play either root & fifth or root and octave in the left hand.
3. For 7th and min7th chords, play root and b7 in the left hand.
4. Melody note is the highest sounding note of the chord.
5. For the right hand, every chord should have a third. (b3 for minor)
6. All the notes of the chord not being played in the left hand are played in the right. Sometimes notes can be doubled in both left and right hands according to taste. There are 'color' tones that can be added to create a 'professional' sound.

Practice:

It just takes practice for chording in the left hand and right hand. If you want, try block chording:

CEG / CEG
GbBbDb / GbBbDb etc. etc.

This will help to familiarize oneself in getting fluent in chording with both hands. Play the Melodic scale in the right hand: C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C

Practice: (and do this in every key)

CG / EGC
DA / FAD
EC / GCE
FC / ACF
GD / BDG
AF / CFA
BG / DGB
CG / EGC

For the end:

FEb / GBD
ED / GCE
AE / Am7
DA / Dm7
GD / FM7
CG / CEG

Missed some past posts on Mailbox Monday? Have a look, if you want.

What are accidentals?

10 quick tips about piano practice

One more step along the way

How do I modulate?

Be sure and visit the new software, Song Tutor.

Blessings,





"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

Review: Micah Barnes l New York Stories

If you're looking for some good sounds and want to invest in your music library, I would like to introduce you to Micah Barnes (Canadian jazz-singer-songwriter) and his newly released album, New York Stories. I think everyone has a story of their own, and Micah shares his love affair with New York through some sensational song writing. I LOVE this album!

I can't stop playing these jazz tunes and if you like jazz then you're sure to become a fan! Micah's band can be heard on the following tracks and you can purchase some or all mp3s by clicking on the links.

The first single "New York Story" shot to the top of the Jazz charts in both Canada and the USA and resulted in Micah being the Toronto Indie Awards best Jazz Act of 2014. If you listen closely, you'll hear many of the songs  incorporating rhythms of the Cotton Club, the Brill Building, The Apollo Theatre and classic Broadway.


New York Story
After the Romance (The Rent)
Starting Tomorrow
Harlem Moon
I'm Going Back to My Used to Be
La Rouge Ou Le Noir (The Roulette Wheel)
Don't Take My Baby (New York, New York)
Some Other Man
I Came Back
I've Been Awake Too Long

My Review

Sensational sounds and a timeless quality, Micah Barnes captivates a romantic listening experience with his soothing, peaceful voice and effortless piano playing. His magnificent band showcases a sophisticated party ambience. He's put together many exciting original songs that you'll indeed find irresistible. This mega talented artist, along with his successful jazz trio, will greatly inspire your appreciation for classic Jazz, Broadway and Pop. You're sure to become a fan. I love the album and highly recommend for your enjoyment and easy listening pleasure.

5/5 stars. Highly recommend to friends and musicians.


CD Purchase:
New York Stories

For more information visit his  website, www.micahbarnes.com

Best wishes and much continued success to Micah Barnes!







"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King